LADY_AMG

How often do you drive in manual mode? I don't find it responsive enough to my liking, so I don't drive in manual very often. Is there a trick to getting a more responsive feel when you shift? With my SMG M3, I would let off the throttle a bit when I shifted. Down-shifting is also kinda quirky.

Thoughts and advice?

DAGREEKNYC

IMO i feel like the M mode is just to have fun and pretend u have a stick . i enjoy cruising in M mode and letting off the gas to hear the exhaust but when it comes to driving in M ive hit the rev limiter way too often using it .

Vic55

I always drove mine in auto mode. The manual shifts are just too slow in relation to human input.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

likewise

LADY_AMG

There is a very noticeable lag when shifting and I admit that it's disappointing. However, the acceleration while in manual mode is amazing! I opened it up on the back part of Irvine Blvd. on the way home this afternoon and I was caught off guard by how quickly I gained speed.

At this point, I agree with you all and prefer to drive around town in auto mode.

User110

ditto

ALi

jangy

You mean you feel manual puts down more power? Some think that, but I don't know of any technical reasoning either way.

Also, some people have the RennTech EGS / speed Shift. I have never driven one so I can't say but our OEM one is lagging. Even trying to learn the timing is a pain.

LADY_AMG

The only plausibe reason why it may feel that way is because you're able to accelerate at higher RPM's as opposed to accelerating in auto when the car shifts for you when you reach a certain RPM. And you're right, the timing is weird. It's nothing like BMW's SMG or Audi's DSG system.

jangy

Mine shifts at 6800 in auto so I don't know that it helps. most that try manual actually shift sooner to stay in the TQ band. Oh well.

Marcus Frost

+1... especially if you ever driven any SMG/DSG car... our M mode is pretty pathetic. I leave it in S.

-m

Max.H

I think manual mode is more suited for spirited driving through the "twisties" Because you can choose a desired gear to drop down to and leave it.

As far as having some fun around town. Try holding your gear lever to the left and mash the gas at the same time. The tranny will drop down to the lowest safe gear for that speed and off you go!

Blacksport350

Manual mode is very slow and while I am used to instant response from a gearbox , I still prefer it around town. I just factor lag time into my shifts and it doesn't bother me at all. I can be in the gear I want and hold it without having to wait for the tranny to downshift several gears if a drop the hammer and I can also take advantage of engine braking.

On the highway, I typically prefer auto but will use the gear lever to manually drop it down a gear so it can't go past 4th and downshift manually before going to pass.

Mantooth

I agree 100%. After driving a DCT E90 M3, our "manual" mode is disheartening.

Vic55

Its more of a placebo effect IMHO ... if M mode really was faster, it would be used religously at the track. Its just too hard to pinpoint the perfect up shift due to the delay from pressing the button to the tranny reaction.

LADY_AMG

I should elaborate what I meant: in M mode, the car seems to accelerate much faster from a dead stop as opposed to accelerating while in auto from a dead stop.

It may be placebo, but I like it!

Hammer Down

I know what you mean. I drive around in M mode and with the ESC off Try this and let me know what you think.....

1st put it in S mode and manually shift down to 3rd at about 35mph and then nail it. I want you to listen to the way the engine and exhaust sound. (also you are just listening for the sound it makes and not so much how fast you are going...that will come later)

Then put it in M mode with the ESC off and manually shift to 3rd and then nail it. Listen to the engine and exhaust sound and let me know if they sound different. (again you are just listening for the sound it makes) btw don't forget to shift!



after you do it tell me what you think

LADY_AMG

Haha...I may try that next time I happen to come across an empty stretch of road.

I did a resonator delete and straight pipes a couple weeks ago and the car sounds amazing! It sounds completely stock while idling, which I like. A lot of the time, I keep the music turned down so I can listen to the different exhaust notes as I drive.

MB_Forever

Only the SL63 (and of course the upcoming W212 E63) offers faster shifting through Manual mode (up to 100 ms). For all other trannies, the actual shift time is "supposedly" the same whether you use sport mode or Manual mode. However, what makes Manual shifts practically slower is the difficulty for us to adapt to them and get them right everytime. This is not only due to the shift "lag", but also to the variablity in the lag. For example, lets say one time the lag is 120 ms, another time, it could be 140 ms or 90 ms......That variation is inconsistent and therefore makes it very hard to master the shifts sometimes

I've driven SMG-equipped M5s and M6s before and I can attest that the shift speeds are light years faster than what we have. I haven't driven the M3 with DCT yet, but I've heard the shifts on the track and was very impressed.

UD-Andy

The SMG tranny on a e46 m3 has all the same components as a traditional 6speed tranny except it has an autoclutch which starts to engage as soon as the accelerator is touched, this is why the car still rolls back on hills. W211 E55 has an automatic tranny with a smart computer which lets us flip through the gears thats why there is such a drastic performance difference to the SMG trannys.

Yacht Master

You will never beat the auto in manual mode on up shifts.
I use sport mode and left paddle for down shifts, and let auto hit up shift right every time.

Jaybejay

M mode for Mountain driving.... No braking needed.

RobDoc

I've had 2 SMGII E46's for a total of 5 years now, and have really, really learned how to make SMG feel and work just right. I have driven the new M3 w/ DCT and it simply makes my SMGII feel obsolete. There is no perceptible lag in power delivery between gear changes. It's like a steady stream of power. It's unbelievable really until you experience it for yourself.

The E63 (and C63 for that matter) that I drove feels very vague when shifting manually under power. This is the only thing I don't like about current MBZ's...and the tranny is a pretty big thing that determines the driving character of the car. I keep wondering why the hell doesn't MBZ offer a manual transmission as an option? I think the new E63 w/ double clutch will be a significantly more rewarding drive than the current torque converter-based drivetrains.

Blacksport350

I notice you have a 355....I had a 355F1 back in the day and after that, the SMG gearbox just felt slow and awkward. I tried to like it and gave it several tries with no success. The early F1 box was just flat out violent with its immediacy making everything else seem slow shifting. In fact, the 355F1 was slow but the gearbox made the car for me.

Since then, the only paddle shifters that I have come to terms with are the Porsche PDK and VW/Audi DSG.

The AMG Speedshift doesn't bother me as it is an automatic and does what it does very well. Aside from Speedshift, I can't imagine owning a car with an auto box. Yes, the AMG box is slow to respond but they have always been that way so I am pretty used to it and just drive around that weakness. Some have said their shift times vary but mine is consistent so when I drive in manual mode, I just shift early to compensate. There is no technique that I have found to improve shift speed other than pushing the button faster.

storm

DITTO,, well said too,, agree totally

MB_Forever

This is not always true on the 63s....... In sports mode, the computer will short shift 1st to 2nd anywhere from 6000 rpm to 6400 rpm instead of 7200 rpm. If the car has been driven very hard before the acceleration run, then the shift point becomes closer to 6600 to 6800 rpm. In manual mode, it is relatively easy to time it closer to 7000 rpm with some practice.

On the 55s, adaptations does not affect the upshifts as much, but still plays a big roll in shift speed and shift points. This can be eliminated completely if Manual Mode is used right.